
Proportional rule bankruptcy is a simple and fair approach to dividing assets among creditors.
The proportional rule is based on the principle of dividing the total value of assets among all creditors in proportion to their claims.
This means that if a creditor has a claim of $100, they will receive $100 worth of assets.
The proportional rule is often used in small business bankruptcies, where there are few creditors and the assets are easily divisible.
It's a straightforward approach that ensures everyone gets a fair share.
Formal Definition and Preliminaries
The proportional rule is a way to divide an estate among claimants when it's not enough to satisfy all claims. In a bankruptcy problem, there's a certain amount of money, denoted by E, that needs to be divided among n claimants. Each claimant i has a claim denoted by ci, and the estate is usually insufficient to satisfy all the claims.
The proportional rule says that each claimant i should receive r⋅ci, where r is a constant chosen such that the sum of r⋅ci for all i equals E. This means each agent gets a fraction of their claim based on the total sum of all claims.
A bankruptcy problem is a triple (N, E, c) where N is a nonempty and finite set of claimants, E is the estate, and c is the vector of claims. The estate E is compact, comprehensive, and nonleveled, meaning it's not required to be convex.
The vector of utopia values u^E∈ℝ++^N is given by the maximum value each claimant can receive, but this isn't directly related to the proportional rule.
A bankruptcy rule f satisfies estate monotonicity if it doesn't make any claimant worse off when the estate turns out to be larger than expected. This is a fundamental property of the proportional rule.
Here's a summary of the key properties of a bankruptcy problem:
Proportional Rule
The proportional rule is a method used to allocate a limited amount of resources among claimants.
In some cases, the proportional rule is modified to account for extremely large claims. This is known as the truncated proportional rule.
The truncated proportional rule works by truncating claims that exceed a certain threshold, E, to E. This means that any claim larger than E is reduced to E.
For example, if we have three claimants with claims of 100, 200, and 300, and the threshold E is 100, the truncated proportional rule would allocate the resources as (33.333, 33.333, 33.333).
Here are some examples of how the truncated proportional rule works in different scenarios:
As you can see, the allocation changes depending on the threshold value.
Characterizations and Properties
The proportional rule has several characterizations that make it unique. It's the only rule that satisfies self-duality and composition-up, self-duality and composition-down, no advantageous transfer, resource linearity, and no advantageous merging and no advantageous splitting.
The proportional rule is also defined by its estate monotonicity, which requires that no claimant is worse off when the estate turns out to be larger than expected. This is a key property of the rule, ensuring that claimants don't lose out when the estate grows.
Here are the key axioms that define the proportional rule:
- Self-duality and composition-up;
- Self-duality and composition-down;
- No advantageous transfer;
- Resource linearity;
- No advantageous merging and no advantageous splitting.
These axioms are crucial in understanding the proportional rule and its properties. By satisfying these conditions, the rule ensures fairness and proportionality in bankruptcy scenarios.
Truncated Rule

The truncated rule is a variant of the proportional rule that truncates claims larger than a certain threshold, E, to E. This means that if a claim is greater than E, it's cut down to E. The results of the truncated rule are the same as the proportional rule when all claims are less than or equal to E.
For example, in the case of three claimants with claims of 100, 200, and 300, and a threshold of 100, the truncated rule returns (33.333, 33.333, 33.333). This is because all claims are truncated to 100.
Here are some examples of the truncated rule in action:
The truncated rule can produce different results depending on the threshold value. For instance, when the threshold is 200, the result is (40, 80, 80), but when the threshold is 300, the result is (50, 100, 150).
A fresh viewpoint: When Does Who Rules the World Come Out?
Characterizations
The proportional rule has several unique characterizations that set it apart from other rules. One of these characterizations is self-duality, which means that the rule remains the same whether it's applied to the original claims or to the dual claims.

Self-duality is a fundamental property of the proportional rule. It's a key characteristic that helps us understand how the rule works.
The proportional rule also satisfies the axiom of composition-up, which means that the rule remains the same when applied to a combination of claims. This is an important property because it shows that the rule can handle complex claims.
Composition-up is one of the five axioms that define the proportional rule. The other four axioms are self-duality, composition-down, no advantageous transfer, resource linearity, and no advantageous merging and no advantageous splitting.
Here are the five axioms that define the proportional rule:
- Self-duality
- Composition-up
- Composition-down
- No advantageous transfer
- No advantageous merging and no advantageous splitting
Each of these axioms plays a crucial role in defining the proportional rule and its behavior.
Proportionality, Equality, and Duality in Bankruptcy Problems
The proportional rule is a fundamental concept in bankruptcy problems, and it's fascinating to explore its properties and characterizations. One of the key axioms that the proportional rule satisfies is self-duality and composition-up, which means that the rule remains the same when the claims are reversed or combined.

The proportional rule also satisfies resource linearity, which implies that the rule treats each claimant's share of the estate proportionally. This means that if one claimant's claim increases, their share of the estate will also increase proportionally.
In terms of duality, the proportional rule has a unique property called composition-down, which states that the rule remains the same when the claims are combined in a specific way. This is an important characterization of the proportional rule, as it highlights its symmetry and fairness.
Here are some examples of how the proportional rule works in practice:
- TPROP(100,200,300;100)=(33.333,33.333,33.333)
- TPROP(100,200,300;200)=(40,80,80)
- TPROP(100,200,300;300)=(50,100,150)
The truncated proportional rule, on the other hand, is a variant of the proportional rule that truncates claims larger than E to E. This rule is useful when dealing with large claims that exceed the estate's value.
The adjusted-proportional rule is another variant of the proportional rule that takes into account each agent's minimal right, which is the amount not claimed by the other agents. This rule is useful when dealing with multiple claimants and complex claim structures.
Overall, the proportional rule and its variants are essential tools for solving bankruptcy problems, and understanding their properties and characterizations is crucial for making informed decisions in these situations.
Examples and Applications

The proportional rule is a straightforward approach to dividing assets in a bankruptcy scenario. It's based on the idea of allocating a proportion of the estate to each claimant.
One of the key takeaways from the examples is that the proportional rule can handle multiple claimants with ease. For instance, if there are three claimants with claims of 100, 200, and 300, and the estate is worth 100, the first claimant gets 16.667, the second gets 33.333, and the third gets 50.
The proportional rule also takes into account the relative size of each claim. In the example where the estate is worth 200, the first claimant gets 33.333, the second gets 66.667, and the third gets 100. This shows that the rule adjusts the proportions based on the size of each claim.
The proportional rule is often used in bankruptcy cases where there are multiple creditors with varying claims. It's a fair and transparent approach that ensures each claimant receives a proportionate share of the estate.
For another approach, see: 333 Rule
Access to Document

The proportional rule is the most important rule to determine payments in real-life bankruptcy problems. It's a crucial concept in financial networks.
Many bankruptcy problems are characterized by network aspects, making an axiomatic analysis challenging. This is because the values of the agents' assets depend on the extent to which claims on other agents can be collected.
In financial networks with defaulting agents, the values of the agents' assets are endogenous, meaning they depend on the interactions with other agents. This is a key aspect of financial networks.
The proportional rule is often used to determine payments in real-life bankruptcy problems. It's a widely accepted concept in the field of financial networks.
The main axiom of the proportional rule is invariance to mitosis, which is a key concept in understanding how the rule works. This axiom is essential in providing an axiomatization of the proportional rule.
Claims boundedness, limited liability, priority of creditors, continuity, and impartiality are other axioms that are often used in conjunction with the proportional rule. These axioms help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the rule.
A unique perspective: Period of Financial Distress

The proportional rule has been axiomatized in financial networks, providing a solid foundation for understanding how it works. This is a significant development in the field of financial networks.
The values of the agents' assets are endogenous in financial networks with defaulting agents. This means that the values of the assets depend on the interactions with other agents.
Impartiality and non-manipulability by identical agents are two central axioms of the proportional rule. These axioms help to provide a fair and unbiased understanding of the rule.
Check this out: Financial Distress
Examples
Let's take a look at some examples of how the PROP function works. In the case of two claimants, the function calculates the proportion of the estate each claimant receives based on their individual claims. For instance, if the estate is worth 100 and the claims are 60 and 90, the first claimant gets 40 and the second claimant gets 60.
The PROP function can also handle cases with three claimants. One example is when the claims are 100, 200, and 300, and the estate is worth 100, in which case the first claimant gets 16.667, the second claimant gets 33.333, and the third claimant gets 50.
Here's a breakdown of the proportions for the three-claimant case when the estate is worth 100:
This shows that the first claimant gets 16.667, the second claimant gets 33.333, and the third claimant gets 50.
NTU Bankruptcy: Consistency and Adjustment Principle
NTU Bankruptcy is a fascinating topic that deals with how to fairly distribute a limited amount of resources among multiple claimants. The vector of truncated claims is given by \({\hat{c}}^E\in {\mathbb {R}}_{++}^N\).
In the context of NTU Bankruptcy, consistency is a crucial concept. It requires that the solution to the bankruptcy problem should not be affected by the order in which the claimants are considered.
The relative adjustment principle is another key concept in NTU Bankruptcy. It involves adjusting the claims of the claimants to ensure that the solution is consistent and fair.
The vector of truncated claims \({\hat{c}}^E\in {\mathbb {R}}_{++}^N\) plays a central role in the relative adjustment principle.
Theorems and Proofs
The proportional rule is a bankruptcy rule that has been extensively studied in the context of bankruptcy problems. The proportional rule satisfies relative symmetry and independence of irrelevant alternatives, which are two key properties that make it a useful tool for allocating payoffs in bankruptcy problems.
The proportional rule is unique in that it satisfies both relative symmetry and independence of undominating alternatives. This is a significant result, as it shows that the proportional rule is the only bankruptcy rule that meets these two criteria.
However, relative symmetry is independent of any estate axiom, which means that it can be satisfied by other bankruptcy rules as well. For example, the constrained equal awards rule satisfies relative symmetry, but does not satisfy independence of unclaimed alternatives.
The proportional rule is also not the unique bankruptcy rule satisfying relative symmetry and independence of unclaimed alternatives. The truncated proportional rule also satisfies these two properties, although it is not the same as the proportional rule.
The truncated proportional rule is unique in that it satisfies relative symmetry, truncation invariance, independence of unclaimed alternatives, and claims continuity. This is a significant result, as it shows that the truncated proportional rule is the only bankruptcy rule that meets these four criteria.
Here is a summary of the properties of different bankruptcy rules:
Note that a "+" indicates that the rule satisfies the corresponding property, while a "-" indicates that it does not.
Definitions and Keywords

The proportional rule is a method used to divide a limited amount of money among multiple claimants. Each claimant receives a portion of the total amount based on their individual claim.
The proportional rule is often used in situations where the total amount of money is insufficient to satisfy all the claims. In such cases, the rule states that each claimant should receive a fraction of their claim, with the fraction being determined by the total amount of money available.
The proportional rule is based on a mathematical formula that ensures each claimant receives a fair share of the available funds. The formula is as follows: each claimant receives a portion of their claim equal to their claim divided by the total amount of all claims, multiplied by the total amount of money available.
Here are the key axioms that define a bankruptcy rule, which includes the proportional rule:
- Estate monotonicity: The bankruptcy rule should not make any claimant worse off if the estate becomes larger than expected.
- Independence of irrelevant alternatives: The solution should not change if the estate becomes smaller while the solution remains feasible.
- Independence of undominating alternatives: The solution should not change if the estate becomes larger while none of the new payoff allocations is better for all claimants.
- Independence of unclaimed alternatives: The bankruptcy rule should only depend on the feasible payoff allocations in the estate.
The proportional rule satisfies the estate monotonicity axiom, as it ensures that each claimant receives a fair share of the available funds, regardless of the size of the estate.

The proportional rule also satisfies the claims linearity axiom, which states that all claim vectors on the line connecting two claim vectors with equal outcomes should lead to the same payoff allocation. This means that if two claimants have equal claims, the proportional rule will treat them equally, regardless of the total amount of money available.
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